The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-05
AN OCEAN CHASE.
A CONFEDERATE BLOCKADE
RUNNERS CLOSE SHAVE.
Stealing Out of Port at Night and
Making Her Way Through the
Federal Sauadron-Pur-
sued by Steamer.

|
Federal Sluadron-Pur-
sued by a Steamer.
In the article in the Southern Bitoua'
relating to the Northwestern conspiracy
oc urs the following account OF the es-
cape of the Confederate commissioners
from Wilmington, N. c.:
"We went on board the Thistle q
swift, Clyde built steamer, on the morn
ing OF the 9Th of May, 1864, and slowly
steamed down the Cape Fear River to
Fort Fisher, reaching the fort about four
p. n. We waited until it was quite
dark, and then started to run out OF the
harbor. We could plainly discern out
ut sea the Cntrd States Blockadlng
Squadron, thirteen ships in number:
The Thistle was very fast. 1t was said
she could make near fourteen Knots an
hour. She was a long, narrow side
wheel steamer, lying low in the water,
painted gray or nearly white, so that
! she could scarcely be seen ut night.
White has been defined to be the ab-
sence of color, so that I may say she was
colorless. All of the blockade runners
were so painted. Her machinery was
perfect and in exquisite order. It was
plea. ure to visit her engine-room. Every
thing was clean and tidy, and the brass
and steel FURNISHED until they looked
like gold and silver. All the parts OF
machinery were kept we'll oiled, so that
they worked noiselessly. When we
began our run every light was ex.
tipguised. We burned anthracite coal
and made little or no smoke, and sort
of hood was put over the furnace to pre-
vent any reflection of its fires being seen.
"The land lubbers aboard were
smartly excited; we were unused to That
sort of thing, and when we crossed the
bar, about s P. NJ, and were creeping
along and twisting our devious and per-
ilous way through he huge blockaderSs,
whose towering hulls we could easily
| distinguish, although they could not see
us. we felt queerly. 1t seemed at times
| as if q stone could have been pitched
from our vessel into one OF these dan
eerous ncighbors. If We were detected
we might expect broadside. Our Cap
tain SAID, however, that the real danger
would come with daylight-just at day
light w hen we could be seen, and not
| far away from the harbor might find our
ship close to some war vessel ready 10
rive chase. Then we would have to run
| for it. A blockade runner was not built
to fight. but intended to trust to her
heels. A man was always kept at the
masthead, scanning the hori on with
| n n,werfnl plass. He pa:d no attention to
Sailing vessels, but 80 soon as he dlscov-
cred a steamer, notified the Captain, who
| changed his ships course. These block
adc.running steamers often ran away
| from each other. About A. NJ. on the
7th, the lookout gave notice that ne had
sighted o steamer. Our course was at
once changed. The stranger Immediately
channei her course; and so on again
and again, until it was plain that We
were being pursued. We could see the
back smoke pouring out from the
ch mneys of the pursuer, AMI our Cap
tain said she was gaining on us-ln q
few hours she would be near enough
to fire into us. This vas pleasant intel
rgcnce to gentlemen going out on diplo-
matte business. I thought l might as
,, we'll have remained and have been shot
in the regular way on land. The captain
thought tbs pertinacious steamer was
the United States war steamer "Connec-
ticut,' reputed to be very fast. Wcmade
all arrangements to burn our mail and
D p,pers, and to distribute the money.
Ea:h passenger began to prepare his lit
tie story, that he might be able to prop
erly entertain his captors. All these dis
positions finished, we thought it best to
pledge our resolutions and fortify our
selves for the coming encounter with
some excellent Dutch courage, fur.
nished from the captains stores. We all
agreed afterward that we were very cool
and calm-that is. each man said he was
and that he would have tried with pa
triotic integrity to escape q fate not pro-
vided for in our Instructions. Fortu-
nately we never learned how we would
have stood the racket. The chase lasted
five hours. We were taking i'll more cour-
age during all that time. The Yankees
seemed to gain on us rapidly. All at once
our captain got excited for the first time,
and announced that we were running
away from the enemy. He supposed
that some art of her machinery had
failed. At any rate we got away, and in
a short time were out Of sight of that
ominous black smoke
"Without further adventure we ran
safely into the Bermuda Islands and the
port of St. George. The British flag fly
ing on the fort in the harbor saluted the
Confederate flag displayed from the
Thistle ~